April 1, 2009 - If this doesn't make you quit, nothing will. With a new 62 cent federal tax on cigarettes added this week with the passage of the State Children's Health Insurance Program law, the new price of a pack of cigarettes will soar past $10 in Manhattan.The NYC price is the highest in the nation and more than twice the national average. And don't forget to add the retail mark-ups, which could drive the price of your favorite smokes even higher.

The latest tax hike has left smokers fuming. Hakima Ougribe currently spends $10.95 on a pack of Marlboro Milds on the Upper West Side. She can now expect to pay well over $11 for a pack -- that's more than 55 cents a smoke. Restaurant owner Frank Rossi said he would give up his Newports as of today. "How does the government get away with it?" Rossi, a smoker of 15 years, said. Michael Southward, 24, of Hell's Kitchen said he could no longer afford to smoke.

The New York Health and Hospitals Corp. said the price rise would push the cost of cigarettes to more than $250 a month for pack-a-day smokers. Up to 20,000 New Yorkers are expected to quit after today's price rise. "Now is the time to quit," city Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said. "Smoking is hurting your health and your wallet. "For many New Yorkers looking to save money during these tough times . . . You will feel better, your families will be safer and you will save thousands of dollars."